Uplighting FAQ: All about event lighting for your wedding

About our uplighting service

Why should I hire you?We are passionate about event lighting and will dedicate our efforts to make your wedding or special event as beautiful as it can be. Unlike DJs and DIY rental companies, we offer a specialized uplighting service. We work with you every step of the way to design the perfect lighting plan for you wedding or special event. So call us today at 503-317-2737 to explore how our uplighting service can make a huge difference in your wedding or party.

Do you have an on-site technician?Yes. Having an onsite lighting expert is fundamental to our uplighting service. Our technician will arrive a few hours before your reception to execute the lighting setup according to the detailed plan we work out together weeks before your reception. Our technician will stay onsite throughout the reception, maintaining the lights and making color modifications if desired. Of course, our technician will be dressed appropriately for your wedding.

How much do you charge? Per Hour? Per Event?Unlike uplight rental companies or DJs, we do not charge you for each light you require, but for a comprehensive event lighting solution. We offer a range of all-inclusive packages designed to meet a wide range of budgets and needs. However, we can also design a custom package for your wedding, containing just the elements you want. Contact us for a personalized quote. We usually have a special or a promotion running, which we’ll automatically include in the price quote!

What do your prices include and are there any hidden charges?Our prices are all-inclusive: design & planning assistance, travel in the Portland/Vancouver region, setup, breakdown, and our on-site lighting expert. Do you offer any discounts?We often have promotions on our packages. We also offer several standing discounts that may be combined:

Like us on Facebook for a $25 discount

Advanced booking discount (more than 6 months out): -10%

Combine any uplighting package with our Portland Photo Party service and get $100 off on the bundle.

How much is the booking deposit?We require a 50% deposit to reserve your date.

How do we pay?Check, Paypal or credit/debit card. You can also pay by online transfer from your checking account.

Do you have insurance?Yes, we carry full liability insurance in the amount of $2 million.

How our service works

What is uplighting?Uplighting is a type of lighting design used to embellish any space for a wedding, party or dance. It will magically transform your event center, hotel conference room, ballroom, tent, or outdoor party space. Uplighting employs specially designed light fixtures that are focused to shine upward. They can highlight certain architectural features in a room such as columns or window bays, or they can be used to entirely "wash" a room in a desired color, creating a particular feeling, ambiance or mood.

What's involved in the design phase?We work with you every step of the way to design the perfect lighting plan for your wedding or other event. We’re happy to meet with you down at your venue as well to discuss layout and design. We even bring a few lights with us to show you how they will look on the wall. Keep in mind that the way your venue will look during such a meeting will be quite different from how it will look with your own decor and setup.

What colors are available?Your choice of colors is almost infinite. We offer a range of popular preset colors and we also can mix red, green and blue in varying proportions and intensities to create just the hue you want. Some of the most effective colors for wedding and event uplighting include pink/fuscia, red, purple, blue, teal/turquoise, green, yellow, orange/amber, and white. Use our uplighting color selector to help you identify the color you seek.

One color or more?We find that the most elegant uplighting effects can often be produced by washing walls and ceilings with varying shades of just one color. The desired effect is achieved by lighting technicians who know how to position and space the uplights while varying the lighting intensities to achieve that perfect velvety color.

But what if we have two or three wedding colors?No problem. In fact, we can often obtain striking results by alternating complementary colors around a room, or by choosing one color for the room and a different shade or color to highlight the headtable or other areas like the cake table, grand entrance door, etc. You can light up your ballroom in your exact wedding colors. Corporate events can use our lighting to display the colors used in their company logo. Here are some examples of effective multicolor uplighting.

Can the color design be changed during the reception?Yes! You could, for example, have amber lighting during dinner and then switch to a different color when your DJ starts up. By changing color regime we can change the ambiance as the night progresses.

How many uplights will you use for my wedding?We might need 20 . . . or perhaps 50! We'll arrive at your venue with all the lighting equipment necessary to get the job done perfectly. You will get the great uplighting effect we agree to in the design plan, no matter how many lights we ultimately need to use. That's because with our service, you are not buying a truckload of equipment, but rather a comprehensive lighting solution.

About our lighting equipmentWhy don't you use conventional lights?Conventional "par can" lights have lit up theaters and venues for years but they come with lots of disadvantages, from high energy consumption and safety concerns to aesthetics. They draw a lot of power and can blow fuses. They run very hot and can burn guests -- especially the littlest ones -- who come into contact with them. Even the wired LED lights often rented out by DJs create a tangle of ugly wires and gaffer tape as they need to be "daisy-chained" around the perimeter of your ballroom. Conventional lights are also bulky and can negate the objectives of your wedding decor and design. Why use ugly lights to create beautiful lighting?

What are the advantages of wireless LED lights?The advantages of wireless LED lighting are numerous in terms of technical issues, safety, energy consumption and aesthetics. Wireless lighting allows us to position our lights wherever they'll be most effective, without having to worry about complex electrical wiring and power logistics. With wireless lighting there are no potentially dangerous wires, power strips or tape-covered cables for your guests to trip over. LEDs are also safer because they are cool to the touch so you don’t have to worry about anyone burning themselves on the light by accident. Finally, our wireless lights are good for the environment. They run on long-life rechargeable batteries. They draw no power from your venue -- so no risk of blowing a fuse -- and the power consumed in recharging is a tiny fraction of the power burned in conventional lighting.

Can I count on the battery lights lasting throughout my event?Yes, our lights last up to 20 hours -- more than double the longest weddings!

Are all LED uplights the same?No. The uplights rented out by DJs and DIY services tend to be cheap, low-quality, narrow-beam lights, typically with a beam angle of 20 to 30 degrees. They can light a column but they cannot color en entire wall and ceiling. We use the highest quality professional lighting system on the market, producing a super-wide 120-degree angle beam that will wash an entire wall and ceiling with even color. This wide-angle beam ensures our clients get the rich, high quality, result they desire.

About Monogram Projections (gobos)What's a gobo?A gobo is a custom monogram projection on a wall or floor. The term is derived from the theatrical world: “Go Between” or “Goes Before Optics.” It is a disc (metal, glass or plastic) that is cut into a stencil so that when it is installed in a special projector, the light travels through the stencil producing the enlarged monogram design on the surface upon which it is projected. It's typically a projection of white light, but it can be designed in colors as well.

Where can I project my custom monogram?The best place is a wall rather than the floor. The wall offers more visibility all night long, has a bigger WOW impact, and doesn’t disappear when people are dancing. It also looks great in your photos!

Can you use my wedding invitation or give you my own design for the gobo?Sure. Just send us a high-resolution image of your invitation or design.

Do you also offer pattern gobos?Yes. We offer hundreds of “standard” pattern gobos, such as stars, clouds, leaves, abstract designs etc, that can be projected on ceilings and walls as a complement to your uplighting design. A pattern gobo can greatly enhance the mood you wish to achieve.

Pin Spot Lighting

Why do I need pin spots?Without pin spots your beautiful cake and centerpieces risk remaining in the dark and unnoticed by your guests. Pin spot lighting will make these important items "pop out" dramatically from from their surroundings. Pin spots produce an ultra-narrow, focused beam, typically in the range of 3 to 5 degrees. A high-quality pin spot will focus on an object and not go any wider (called "spill" ). And unlike uplights, they will be positioned from above (usually on tall stands) to ensure guests do not directly encounter their bright beams. We uses pin spots to highlight any small area such as a centerpiece, cake table, head table, gift table, mirror ball, picture or anything you want to draw attention to. The best pin spots cast a soft warm-white light to highlight the natural colors of the object.

Other uplighting alternatives

How about DIY uplighting? DIY uplighting companies are happy to rent you equipment at an attractive price. If you have experience with lighting design this may be a good option. If not, it may be a poor investment and make you unhappy. The problem is that your space is unique, with its own set of variables: geometric shape, ceilings, lighting, beams, columns, drapes, curtains, etc. You'll need to understand enough about lighting dynamics to answer the following:

What kind of lights do I need for my particular space?

How many uplights, and of each type, should I rent?

Will the particular uplights for rent provide a full-color wash for my entire room or just give me lighted stripes?

Will the light reach and fill the ceilings with color, too?

How do I configure the lights to achieve the colors and intensities required for my space?

You can only guess the answers, and most do-it-yourselfers who are trying to save money invariably guess wrong. So they end up spending a good amount and still failing to create the special elegance they wanted.

Why can't I just get uplights from my DJ?Professionals dedicated to one service will invariably produce better results for you. You hire a professional DJ to deliver the music you want and keep the evening entertainment flowing. He's simply not going to be able to put the time and attention into creating the elegant lighting you seek and maintaining it for you throughout your reception. And most DJs do not have the quality and quantity of equipment necessary to color-wash an entire ballroom.